The subject matter described and/or illustrated herein relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to socket connectors that mate with mating connectors having printed circuits.
Computers and servers use numerous types of electronic modules, such as processor and memory modules (e.g. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), or Extended Data Out Random Access Memory (EDO RAM), and the like). The memory modules are produced in a number of formats such as, for example, Single In-line Memory Modules (SIMM's), Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMM's), Small Outline DIMM's (SODIMM's), Fully Buffered DIMM's, and the like. The electronic modules may be installed in one or more socket connectors mounted on a motherboard or other system board.
Electronic modules often include a printed circuit having a mating edge that is received within a socket of the socket connector. The mating edge provides an interface between the electronic module and one or more rows of electrical contacts that extend within the socket of the socket connector. The printed circuit includes contact pads arranged along the mating edge on one or more sides of the printed circuit. For example, the printed circuit sometimes includes contacts pads arranged along the mating edge on two opposite sides of the printed circuit. The socket connector includes a pair of opposite rows of electrical contacts extending within the socket. When the mating edge of the printed circuit is received within the socket, the electrical contacts of each row of the socket connector engage the contact pads on a corresponding one of the sides of the printed circuit.
Because of the ongoing trend toward smaller electronic packages, adjacent electrical contacts within the same row of the socket connector are arranged relatively close together. Similarly, adjacent contact pads on the same side of the printed circuit are arranged relatively close together. The relatively close spacing between adjacent electrical contacts and adjacent contact pads that transmit signals may cause crosstalk, interference, noise, and/or the like between the adjacent contacts and between the adjacent pads. For example, the electrical contacts and the contact pads are sometimes arranged in differential signal pairs. The relatively close spacing between adjacent differential signal pairs may cause crosstalk, interference, noise, and/or the like therebetween. Such crosstalk, interference, noise, and/or the like may degrade signal performance. Ground shields are used in some electrical connectors to shield adjacent differential signal pairs from crosstalk, interference, noise, and/or the like. But, because of the limited amount of space within the socket of the socket connector, it may be difficult to isolate adjacent electrical contacts within the same row with an effective ground shield. Similarly, because of the limited amount of space along the mating edge of the printed circuit, it may be difficult to isolate adjacent contact pads on the same side of the printed circuit.